Easy-Change Sections

When Osmiroid introduced its new cartridge-fed models in about 1980, it also introduced an entirely different line of points. Unlike the previous nib units, it was now necessary for the entire section of the pen to be swapped out. While this was arguably neater, in that there was something that wasn’t soaked with ink to hold while unscrewing, it did mean that a lot more material had to be bought for each replacement point, and it also meant that those with full ranges of the older units were unable to use them in new pens. One might suggest that it is a tricky engineering feat to introduce the sort of point/feed unit Osmiroid previously made into a cartridge-fed pen, but that suggestion falls flat in the face of the relatively elegant, from an engineering view, Sheaffer Stylist and the undeniably elegant Parker 45. I suspect either laziness or a “new software required” style of money-grab.

These Easy-Change units also continue in their predecessors’ tradition of having somewhat unwilling feeds. They do, to make up for some of this derision I’ve been laying on, have an even wider array of styles available than the earlier units, so if one does convince them to work they are quite decorative. The actual metal component, the business end of the section, is very similar to that installed in the old units. In terms of performance, there’s little to tell between old and new.

A final word of warning about these sections; there are two distinct lines of them. The earliest have a steel ring on them, just above the joint, which is absent from the later versions. I don’t know exactly when this change-over took place, but its effect is to render the sections unusable by pens not made in the right era. On earlier models, the ring is what holds the cap on, and the later sections allow the cap to slide off freely with predictable laundry bills. Installing a ringed section on a later body essentially guarantees a cracked cap, as the ring is somewhat wider than the inner diameter of that version’s cap. If one is trolling the depths of eBay for spare sections, it is wise to keep an eye on that aspect of them.

The older ringed version, a menace to younger caps.

A ringless later version, harmless to caps.

If you are relying on the preceding information to win a bet or impress a teacher, you should read the site’s scholarly caveat. Remember, this is the internet, and it’s full of bad information.

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